


All In A Day's Fault

by yamina_chan



Series: Handplates Ukagaka Timelines [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: AU, Gen, Handplates, Meta, Other, ukagaka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 12:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14308530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamina_chan/pseuds/yamina_chan
Summary: The security in Gaster’s lab is flawless. Or, he thought it was.When Subject 1 and Subject 2 go missing unexpectedly the Royal Scientist is forced to interrupt his schedule to search for his missing tools. - Based on Zarla’s Handplates AU and the little Gaster Ukagaka.





	All In A Day's Fault

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zarla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zarla/gifts), [AWildDaydreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=AWildDaydreamer).



> Warning: This story contains spoilers for Zarla's Handplates AU. More specifically, it contains spoilers for the positive route for her Gaster Ukagaka Desktop Buddy. This story assumes that you are familiar with both. If you are not, I would advise you to come back at a later point and not read this right now.
> 
> This story was written at the end of January, after a certain someone (you know who you are) triggered the brothers escape in the Gaster ghost and closed him to proceed with the event... but then forgot to open him for three days.  
> The story describes the events that may have occurred as a result.

“Oh thank god.”  
  
The transition from _there_ to his lab never took long, once the human released their grasp on whatever strange powers they were using to bring him there in the first place. A small tingling in his bones, a moment of disorientation as the world around him shifted, but never more than a few seconds. A concept that Gaster was - admittedly - curious about.  
  
But for now he spared no thought about such matters.  
  
The moment he recognized the familiar colors of his workplace around him he rushed forward, only briefly steadying himself on a wall in passing; his body still caught off guard by the change in space and off balance.  
  
He pocketed his phone with one swift motion as he hurried down the hallway.  
  
Their cell came into view and Gaster did not slow down until he stood in front of it.  
  
It was empty.  
  
He had known this. He had seen it in his observation program, after all. But he had still hoped that somehow he would come back to find them where he had left them.  
  
…He _had_ left them in here, hadn’t he?  
  
Gaster frantically tried to recall the events. They had finished a test and he had send them back to their cell. They had complained about being hungry and he had gone and grabbed a ration for them. He had brought it here, handed it over to subject 1, locked the cell and that’s when the human interfered and- no. That had been yesterday. Today… what had they done today?  
  
Gaster raised a shaky hand to his lower skull, trying to stay calm. He could feel his rational thought slipping away but he could not allow that. ‘ _Think_ ’, he commanded himself. ‘ _Remember what you did. This is vital._ ’ He closed his healthy eye and willed himself to recall the exact events.  
  
He had been working on a paper about air pressure and the influence of temperature.  
  
His subjects had been in the room with him. Their constant chatter had transformed from an alleviating background noise to a debate and it became a distraction.  
  
At that point he had brought them to a different room and told them to be quiet.  
  
And a little while later the human had interrupted his work while they were still in there.  
  
Yes, _yes_ that was right.  
  
Gaster strode back to his office, taking long steps full of purpose. He entered and immediately turned to the room on his left. But there was nothing in it. They were not here either.  
  
Had they wandered off?  
  
“ I thought I had told you not to play hiding games”, Gaster said out loud. No response.  
  
Fine then. They had to be in the lab somewhere.  
  
He mumbled a few choice words under his breath and began to look. This should not take long.

* * *

  
Just over two hours later Gaster was back at his office, checking it for the third time. This was absurd! He had checked every single room thoroughly; every niche, every shadow. And he had done it more than once. He had unlocked every door and searched the areas that he _knew_ those two could not have entered on their own and he had called out for them while he did all of this.  
He even knelt down near part of the heavy equipment in one of the workrooms to inspect something that had looked like dust from the distance. It ended up being nothing more than leftover saw mill waste from a project a while back.  
  
He could not deny that his hand had been quivering as he had checked that particular clue and he had made a mental note to make _sure_ to never leave that room unattended when those two were not locked in their cell.  
  
Gaster moved an empty box out of the way, glancing inside like he had already done twice before.  
  
Where were they? The security system was running normal, the locks were working and nothing seemed out of place.  
  
By all accounts, they should have been in here.  
  
The royal scientist had tried to stop and think about other possibilities a couple times but each time he did, the restlessness that he was feeling grew worse and he found himself pacing back and forth more and more often.  
Whatever relief he had felt when he remembered where they were supposed to be had long since worn off and the unease had taken hold of his entire body once more.  
  
It made no sense.  
  
They should have been here, they could not have vanished into thin air after all.  
  
A thought passed Gasters mind. If they were no longer in the lab… could they be outside? No, that was ridiculous. There was no way they could have gotten out… or that someone else could have gotten in. But now that the thought was there it would not go away.  
  
He glanced wearily in the direction of the exit.  
  
Two skeletons walking about in the Underground would not go unnoticed. If they were outside, then what would await him on the other side of those doors now?  
Nervously he glanced at his phone but no one had tried to contact him, much less about such findings. Perhaps, the two of them got scared and were hiding somewhere, not knowing what to do with an environment so unfamiliar to them? Or perhaps they were hurt? Crying, lost, unable to find their way back?  
  
It made no sense. It made no sense at all. They could not have left the lab like this.  
  
Gaster was already halfway out the door before he realized what he was doing.  
  
It was not probable and highly unlikely. But he should check. If they had indeed gotten out he could worry about the _how_ later. He needed to keep the damage at a minimum if at all possible.  
  
He had to find them.

* * *

 

 

 

>   
>  14:02 PM  
>  Lost the first report page due to carelessness on my part. Doesn’t matter, I will include a summary of the events at a later point. Currently other matters have priority.  
>    
>  15:46 PM  
>  Returned to the lab to collect my bag and to leave my coat here. It has proven to be somewhat of a hindrance in my search as I was navigating through a set of pipes. Double checked one more time that they are not inside.  
>    
>  16:33 PM  
>  Some of the locals in Hotland have expressed confusion regarding my behavior. Had to invent a cover story about studying the geological structures to get them to leave me alone. I don’t have time for this.  
>    
>  16:51 PM  
>  Left Hotland and moving on to Waterfall now. Was again asked about what I am doing. I wish I could conduct this search in peace. It is difficult to do this thoroughly without raising suspicions.  
>    
>  17:11 PM  
>  Call from Alphys about a new project. Told her I am busy and to send me an email. She seemed distressed as we ended the conversation. I may have chosen my wording badly. Will have to apologize later.  
>    
>  19:48 PM  
>  Lost reception on my phone, can’t open the video feed from here. I doubt they would return to their cell on their own at this point but it is frustrating to not be able to check. Will turn it off for now.  
>    
>  19:51 PM  
>  Had a thought. Checking the garbage dump now.  
>    
>  19:55 PM  
>  How does one look for clues in flowing water? Nothing here indicates whether any person has been here recently, much less two skeletons.  
>    
>  ~~19:59 PM~~  
>  ~~Please let me be wrong. Oh god.~~  
>    
>  20:30 PM  
>  I have left the area by the abyss. I have concluded that, even with their inexperience, they would have recognized the potential danger and not have gone too close should they have passed through here. I may need to consider to stop for a moment and eat something, as much as I don’t want to waste time on this. Felt a sudden wave of nausea and other, unusual symptoms while I was contemplating that possibility back there. Must have been from a lack of nutrition. There is no other explanation. I don’t have time for this.  
>    
>  23:21 PM  
>  Searching the area around Snowdin now. Still no clue as to their whereabouts.  
>    
>  23:31 PM  
>  Contemplating asking locals about unusual sightings but don’t want to draw suspicion. Most monsters have gone to sleep now anyway. Perhaps I can continue my search without any further disturbances now.  
>    
>  23:35 PM  
>  Remembered I had my phone turned off. Two missed calls from Asgore. Need to remember to call back tomorrow.  
>    
>  2:09 AM  
>  Nothing.  
>    
>  5:01 AM  
>  Alarm on my phone went off. Noticed I’ve been searching all night. No sign of subject 1 or subject 2 anywhere.  
>    
>  11:23 AM  
>  Ran into Asgore by chance. Wants me to rest. Had a 20 minute long debate on the topic.  
>    
>  12:44 AM  
>  Returned to the lab to rest as instructed. Checked all rooms. Still no sign of them. Will take short break before I continue my search.  
>    
>  15:19 PM  
>  Fell asleep. Lost way too much time. Eating lunch before I go back on my search to avoid repeating the nausea incident from yesterday. Hoping the human will leave me alone today though they probably won’t.  
>    
>  15:28 PM  
>  I have a new theory.  
>  It involves the human. I have not discovered what powers they have access too that allow them to transport me to them against my will, but past incidents have proven that it this ability is not limited to a specific position or time in the day. At this point, the most probable explanation for the disappearance of subject 1 and subject 2 is exactly this strange ability. I don’t know why they picked up them this time instead of myself or how they did so while I was with them without my noticing. I will bring this matter to their attention when they no doubt will forcibly bring me there again today. 
> 
> 16:00 PM   
> No sign of the human so far. This is not unusual, they have a tendency to pick random and inconvenient times as they please, but it is frustrating. Now more so than ever.  
>    
>  16:03 PM  
>  It has already been well over 24 hours. Even during the longest periods of captivity the human has never kept me there this long. If they truly are behind their disappearance, then why have they not returned them yet? Why am I still here?  
>    
>  16:08 PM  
>  Nothing indicates that other humans possess the same ability to drag monsters to them as they please, nor have there been any reports of monsters experiencing such a scenario or going missing lately. But with the amount of time that has passed now I do have to wonder if 1 and 2 are bound under the whim of someone else. Someone who may not be as irritatingly persistent as the human I have met. What would someone like that do with two skeleton ch the possibilities presented to them by what they have acquired? And even if they are not, if they are indeed with the same human that has been focused on me, why have they not returned yet? What is causing this? I want answers that I can not find here.  
>    
>  16:15 PM  
>  I don’t have the time for this. I WILL get my answers. I am going to try and find a way to reach out to the human and have them bring me to where I want to be.  
>    
>  3:03 AM  
>  Failure.

* * *

  
Gaster sat at his desk.  
His forehead rested against intertwined fingers; arms supported by the surface of his workplace.  
Papers were scattered around, some filled with half hearted scribbles.  
He was supposed to finish this today, but his mind would not cooperate. He could not focus on his work as much as he tried to.  
  
It had been _three days_ now.  
  
His worry about possible repercussions should someone here have found his subjects had died down long ago. If they had been found he would not be sitting here.  
  
But that only made his other theory more likely.  
He could not stop thinking about 1 and 2 as a new plaything for a human; left there to serve as their entertainment.  
They would likely not understand what was happening to them. Would they be frightened? Would they even be together? It was entirely possible that they were not; that both of them had been brought to seperate locations with an unclear fate for them in store.  
There were too many variables and not enough data to go on.  
  
Gaster made a frustrated noise. They were _his_ subjects. He could not afford to give them up to some human whim. This project was to important for that. Each second they spend there was a second more that could possibly ruin them and everything he had been working towards.  
  
He had already decided that he could not lose the two, no matter what.  
If necessary he would take them back by force.  
  
But there was nothing he could do here. As things were, he was unable to act in any meaningful way; reduced to waiting and uncertainty.  
  
And fear.  
  
He had been held captive for long periods of time, but never this long. Eventually, the human got bored and send him back. But there was no guarantee that 1 and 2 would be treated the same way. Human minds worked in a strange fashion.  
  
Whatever kindness may have been extended to himself could have well turned to something more sinister in the presence of his...subjects.  
  
A sound alerted Gaster to the fact that his coffee machine had finished it’s brewing process and he mechanically got up to refill his mug.  
  
He did not get very far.  
  
His legs would not carry him and he stumbled forward, catching himself on the wall and then, slowly, sinking down to the ground. When had he begun shaking so? This was not helpful to anyone, he needed to stop. He was just wasting time that he didn’t have.  
  
He didn’t dare to acknowledge any sounds he might have made as he sat there.  
  
Eventually the lab fell silent and Gaster’s thoughts returned to their previous cycle. He had tried everything he could think of to be brought over _there_ , but nothing had worked. The scientific approach was just as equally useless as the more...personal one.  
  
So absorbed was he in his own mind that it took him a moment to process that a new sound had entered the silence. The sound of little feet. Then voices.  
Gaster blinked. For a moment he felt as though something was gripping his soul. In the next he was up and hastily followed the noise into the corridor. And then stopped.  
  
“OH HELLO!”  
  
“...hey, are you okay? you’re just kinda starin’ at us.”  
  
And he did stare at them.  
  
They were here! His subjects were here in front of him, just an arm's length away. And they were smiling like nothing had happened.  
  
Gaster let go of a breath he didn’t know he was holding and he felt his entire body sink in on itself somewhat. They were here. They were back.  
  
Just like that.  
  
He could not remember the last time he had felt so heavy and so light at the same time.  
  
“Where were you?”, he heard himself ask.  
  
“OH, WE WERE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK! WE HID REALLY GOOD THIS TIME!”  
  
“hehe. yup. but we are kinda hungry now too.”  
  
“You- Do you have any Idea how much I-”  
  
He didn’t have the energy left to get angry at their carefree response. With a sigh he closed the distance between them and set his expression in stone.  
  
“Have you forgotten what I have told you about playing hiding games when you are not supposed too?”  
  
Ah. At that they had the decency to look at each other guiltily.  
  
“they said something along those lines too, didn’t they?”  
  
Gaster frowned. “ _They_? ”  
  
2 nodded eagerly.  
  
“YEAH, UHM. THEY LOOKED DIFFERENT. THEY WERE TALKING TO US AND ASKED US A FEW THINGS. BUT THEY DIDN’T GIVE US ANY PUZZLES OR TESTS WHICH WAS WEIRD.”  
  
So they had been with the human after all.  
  
Well, he had suspected as much. Gaster knelt down and beckoned his subjects forward.  
  
“Come here. I need to check you for damage.”  
  
1 and 2 shared another look but complied.  
  
“THEY JUST KEPT ASKING US QUESTIONS AND THEN LOOKING AT US AND THEN THEY ASKED MORE QUESTIONS”, 2 went on unbidden. Gaster rolled his eye and begann turning the younger skeleton this way and that way to see if he could find anything that needed immediate attention.  
  
“THEY ALSO SAID YOU WERE PROBABLY SCARED THAT WE WERE GONE. BUT… WE WERE JUST PLAYING! WE WEREN’T REALLY GONE!”  
  
Gasters expressioned hardened. Oh, did they now. If they were so worried about his emotional state then they would not have kept the boys- his subjects with them so long. Or better yet, they would not have taken them in the first place! He moved on to checking 1.  
  
“THEY WERE REALLY STRANGE. THEY KEPT TOUCHING MY SKULL.”  
  
“yeah, mine too. and they looked at us funny when they did.”  
  
“IT WAS VERY SOFT AND NICE BUT I DON’T KNOW WHY THEY DID THAT.”  
  
Gaster glanced at them in confusion for a moment before he understood.  
  
The human had been petting them.  
  
He grimaced. Of course they had. He should have expected nothing else. Gaster went back to his examination. Outwardly there was no indication of forceful interference with his subjects at least, that was a relief. It would have only complicated his already damaged schedule more. He would have to run some checkups later regardless, just to make sure.  
  
“CAN YOU DO THAT TOO?”  
  
“Do what exactly?”  
  
“CAN YOU TOUCH OUR HEADS LIKE THEY DID?”  
  
Gaster froze. He could feel the curious looks from both of them on himself as he, very carefully, withdrew his hands and placed them on his lap.  
  
So, this meeting with the human did interfere with their development after all. Annoyed Gaster made a mental note to have a few words with the guilty party at his next opportunity. He could not have anyone meddle in his project like this.  
  
His subjects were still looking at him expectedly and Gaster sighed.  
  
“It would not have the same effect on you if I were to do it. As you have no doubt seen, their hands are different from ours. As such, the physical sensation of the touch would result in a different outcome as well.”  
  
Both subjects tilted their heads. They seemed to understand this logic but they still looked doubtful on some level.  
  
“can you demonstrate?”, Subject 1 suggested in a tone that mimicked the one he himself used when he was explaining a new concept to them. “so we have somethin’ to compare it to?”  
  
Gaster hesitated. This was exactly the sort of physical contact he was avoiding at all costs. But now they had been introduced to it by that human, a variable he had not accounted for. Chances were they would keep pestering him about this if he refused now. He pinched his skull just between and below his eye sockets in exhaustion. He entirely was in no condition to deal with such a debate currently, not after the toll the last few days had taken on him.  
  
So then. For the purpose of education - and his own peace of mind. He really did not want them to ask about this constantly; best to get it out of the way and be done with it. Their disappointment would be a better teaching factor than a simple ‘No.’ in any case.  
  
Gaster raised both of his arms and laid a hand on one of their skulls each; his expression carefully blanc as he began to gently rub the bone structure. They giggled under his touch and Gaster hastily ceased his motions and stood up.  
  
“There. That should suffice. Now come on, we have lost enough time as is.”  
  
Subject 2 beamed at him.  
  
“THAT WAS NICE!”  
  
Gaster flinched.  
  
“I did not ask for your opinion. Now, start walking.”  
  
He ushered the two back in the direction of their cell.  
  
“can we do that again?”  
  
“No. There is no sense in repeating the same test under the same circumstances and hoping for a different outcome, subject 1.”  
  
“THEN HOW ABOUT HOPING FOR THE SAME OUTCOME?”  
  
Gaster closed his eye.  
  
He _really_ needed to have a few words with that human.

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback or constructive criticism is welcome! I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions! :D  
> And do not hesitate to point out grammar or spelling mistakes if you find any. English is not my first language and I would be surprised if there aren't any mistakes that slipped through. XD


End file.
